After months of speculation, member of parliament from Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency and senior National Conference leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has confirmed he will resign from both the party and Parliament in November.
“I have decided to resign from the party and Parliament in November,” Mehdi said as per a report by The Decifer.
Mehdi shared the decision with close aides earlier this week, one of them confirmed, saying he plans to step down both as MP for the Srinagar constituency and as a member of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference.
Earlier Mehdi had told The Decifer that he has made up his mind to resign from the party soon, accusing its leadership of choosing a “path of surrender”.
Since the Narendra Modi government scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status in August 2019 and downgraded the erstwhile state into a Union territory, Mehdi has consistently advocated for the restoration of special status and greater autonomy. His party, however, has primarily focused on securing the restoration of statehood.
Mehdi has been stressing on the party leadership to change its course of action and address people’s issues, primarily demanding the restoration of special status.
Last week, JKNC president Farooq Abdullah had dared the Srinagar MP to resign from the Lok Sabha and seek a fresh mandate from the electorate. “If you think people voted for you, resign and go back to them. We will see how many votes you get,” Abdullah had said.
